The Apostles & the Early Believers — biblical archaeology discoveries

Acts, the Epistles, Revelation and the earliest manuscripts. 91 archaeological finds from this period that run alongside the biblical story: what was found, who found it, why it matters, the Hebrew word to know, and the Scripture passages each discovery touches.

• Gallio Inscription (Delphi)
  Letter of Emperor Claudius naming Gallio proconsul of Achaia — the anchor date for Paul's ministry · found 1905
• Erastus Inscription (Corinth)
  Pavement laid by an aedile named Erastus — possibly Paul's friend the city treasurer · found 1929
• The Bema at Corinth
  The judgment platform in the forum where Paul stood before Gallio · found 1935
• 'Synagogue of the Hebrews' Lintel (Corinth)
  Marble doorway block from a Jewish meeting house in Paul's Corinth · found 1898
• Corinth Meat Market (Macellum) Inscription
  Latin stone naming the market where meat 'sold in the shambles' came from · found 1898
• Theater of Corinth
  Roman theater beside the Erastus pavement, seat of the city's public life · found 1896
• Politarch Inscription (Thessalonica)
  Arch inscription proving Luke's rare word for city rulers was exactly right · found 1835
• נְצִיב
  Sergius Paulus Inscriptions
  Stones from Cyprus, Rome, and Pisidian Antioch naming the proconsul who believed · found 1887
• טֶטְרַרְךְ
  Lysanias Tetrarch Inscription (Abila)
  Temple dedication naming 'Lysanias the tetrarch' in the reign of Tiberius · found 1737
• Great Theater of Ephesus
  The 24,000-seat theater where the silversmiths' riot shouted 'Great is Artemis' · found 1866
• Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
  One of the Seven Wonders, whose silver shrines sparked the riot against Paul · found 1869
• צוֹרֵף כֶּסֶף
  Ephesus Artemis Inscriptions: Salutaris Foundation and the Asiarchs
  Stones from the theater confirming the goddess processions, silversmiths, and provincial officials of Acts 19 · found 1866
• Curetes Street and the Library of Celsus, Ephesus
  The marble city Paul walked — with a landmark built a generation after him · found 1903
• Philippi: Forum, Bema, and the Prison Tradition
  The Roman colony where Paul was beaten before the magistrates and freed by an earthquake · found 1914
• Via Egnatia and the Port of Neapolis
  The Roman highway and harbour that carried the Good News into Europe · found 1914
• Lydia's Baptism Site on the Gangites (Zygaktis) River
  The riverside 'place of prayer' outside Philippi where Europe's first recorded believer was immersed · found 1974
• אֵל לֹא נוֹדָע
  The Areopagus and the Altar 'To an Unknown God'
  Mars Hill, where Paul preached, and the Pergamon altar inscribed 'to unknown gods' · found 1909
• Pisidian Antioch: Temple of Augustus and the Res Gestae Copy
  Imperial-cult city where Paul preached his first recorded sermon · found 1914
• אֱלִילִים
  Lystra Inscription and the Zeus–Hermes Cult Stones
  The stone that located Lystra and the local worship of the two gods Paul was mistaken for · found 1885
• תַּלְמִידִים
  Derbe Inscription (Kerti Höyük)
  The 1956 stone that finally placed the last city of Paul's first journey · found 1956
• Theater of Caesarea and the Death of Herod Agrippa I
  The seaside theater where Josephus and Acts both place the king's fatal appearance · found 1959
• Inscriptions of Agrippa II and Bernice
  Stones from Beirut and Athens naming the royal pair who heard Paul at Caesarea · found 1927
• Coins of Felix and Festus
  Small bronze coins struck by the two governors who kept Paul in prison at Caesarea · found 1864
• Malta: St Paul's Bay and the Roman Anchor Claims
  The traditional landing site and lead anchor stocks said to be from Paul's ship — unproven · found 2003
• אֳנִיָּה
  Puteoli and the Alexandrian Grain Fleet
  The Bay of Naples port where Paul landed and the giant grain ships he sailed on · found 1750
• בֵּית הָאֲסוּרִים
  Mamertine Prison (Carcer Tullianum), Rome
  The Forum dungeon where tradition holds Peter and Paul were held before death · found 2010
• Jewish Catacombs of Rome and the Synagogue Inscriptions
  Vigna Randanini and Villa Torlonia — the graves of the community Paul wrote to · found 1859
• Ostia Synagogue
  The oldest synagogue building in Europe, at Rome's harbour town · found 1961
• גֵּרוּשׁ
  Letter of Claudius to the Alexandrians (P.Lond. 1912)
  Papyrus decree of 41 CE on Jewish–Greek strife — context for Claudius' expulsion of Jews from Rome · found 1921
• Great Altar of Pergamon ('Satan's Throne')
  The monumental Zeus altar many link to Revelation's 'where Satan's throne is' · found 1878
• Sardis Synagogue
  The largest ancient synagogue ever found, in the heart of a city of Revelation · found 1962
• Laodicea: Lukewarm Water and the Early Church
  Calcified pipes, the Hierapolis hot springs, and a 4th-century church in the city that was 'neither hot nor cold' · found 2010
• Tomb and Martyrium of Philip at Hierapolis
  The 2011 discovery of a 1st-century tomb honoured as the apostle's, beside his octagonal shrine · found 2011
• אַרְגָּמָן
  Thyatira Dyers' Guild Inscriptions
  Stones naming the purple-dyers of Lydia's home city · found 1875
• Patmos and the Cave of the Apocalypse
  The exile island of Revelation and its traditional grotto of vision · found 1088
• Miletus Theater 'God-fearers' Inscription
  A reserved seat row for 'the Jews who are also God-fearers' in the city where Paul said farewell · found 1906
• יִרְאֵי אֱלֹהִים
  Aphrodisias 'God-fearers' Stele
  A donor list separating Jews, proselytes, and 'theosebeis' — the clearest proof of the God-fearers of Acts · found 1976
• Papyrus P52 (Rylands Greek 457)
  The earliest surviving scrap of the New Testament — John 18 on a card-sized fragment · found 1920
• Papyrus P46 (Chester Beatty II)
  The oldest collection of Paul's letters, a single codex from about 200 CE · found 1930
• Bodmer Papyri P66 and P75
  Near-complete early codices of John, and of Luke with John, from a Christian library in Upper Egypt · found 1952
• Codex Sinaiticus
  The oldest complete New Testament, rescued from St Catherine's Monastery · found 1844
• Codex Vaticanus
  The Vatican's 4th-century Bible, the finest early witness to the Greek text · found 1475
• Magdalen Papyrus P64 (with P67)
  Three scraps of Matthew 26 once claimed to be 'eyewitness-era' — the claim did not hold · found 1901
• Oxyrhynchus Papyri and the Gospel of Thomas Fragments
  A rubbish-heap of Roman Egypt yielding the earliest 'Sayings of Yeshua' and dozens of New Testament pieces · found 1897
• Nag Hammadi Library
  Thirteen Coptic codices of Gnostic and other writings — the 'other side' of early Christian debates · found 1945
• שֻׁלְחָן
  Megiddo Prison Church Mosaic
  The earliest known Christian prayer hall, with a mosaic dedicated 'to God Jesus Christ' · found 2005
• Dura-Europos House Church and Synagogue
  A painted baptistery and a synagogue full of Bible scenes, sealed under a Roman rampart in 256 CE · found 1932
• Alexamenos Graffito
  The earliest picture of the crucifixion — a mocking scratch on a Roman wall · found 1857
• Tomb of Peter beneath St Peter's Basilica
  A 2nd-century shrine over a simple grave, with the graffito 'Petros eni' · found 1940
• עֵד
  Sarcophagus of Paul at St Paul Outside the Walls
  The Ostian Way tomb inscribed 'To Paul, apostle and martyr' · found 2006
• מְשִׁיחִיִּים
  Pompeii and Herculaneum: Claimed Christian Traces
  The 'Christianos' graffito, the Herculaneum cross-shaped mark, and the ROTAS square — all uncertain · found 1862
• Antioch-on-the-Orontes: Mosaics and the 'Chalice of Antioch'
  The city where disciples were first called Christians — and a famous silver cup that is not what it seemed · found 1932
• עַזָּה
  Gaza: Anthedon (Blakhiyah) and the Roman Necropolis
  The excavated harbor town north of Gaza and the 2022 cemetery with lead sarcophagi · found 1995
• Gaza Synagogue and the 'King David' Mosaic
  A 6th-century synagogue floor showing David with a lyre, found by chance in 1965 · found 1965
• Lod (Lydda) Mosaic
  A stunning Roman floor found under a street in the town where Peter healed Aeneas · found 1996
• Acco / Ptolemais (Tel Akko)
  The Canaanite–Phoenician port Asher never took, where Paul spent a day with the believers · found 1973
• Hammath Tiberias Synagogue and Zodiac Mosaic
  A 4th-century synagogue by the hot springs of biblical Hammath, with Helios and the zodiac on its floor · found 1961
• נוּס
  Pella of the Decapolis and the Flight of the Jerusalem Church
  The Jordan valley city to which, Eusebius says, Yeshua's followers fled before 70 CE · found 1967
• Damascus: Straight Street and the Temple of Jupiter
  The Roman city grid of Acts 9 and the great temple that became the Umayyad Mosque · found 1921
• Huqoq Synagogue Mosaics
  Samson, Jonah, the Red Sea and an 'elephant' panel in a Galilean village synagogue · found 2012
• Yavne Byzantine Winery
  The largest known wine factory of the Byzantine world, maker of 'Gaza' and 'Ashkelon' wine · found 2019
• מְנוֹרָה
  The Ophel Treasure and Gold Menorah Medallion
  A Byzantine-era hoard with a 10-cm gold medallion showing menorah, shofar and Torah scroll · found 2013
• Agora of Smyrna and the Basilica Graffiti
  The civic centre of a church of Revelation, with the world's largest set of ancient Greek wall graffiti · found 1932
• Acropolis of Pergamon: Trajaneum, Library and Theatre
  The hill-top of imperial cult and learning above 'Satan's throne' · found 1878
• Asklepieion of Pergamon
  The healing sanctuary where Galen trained, in the city of Revelation 2 · found 1928
• Red Basilica (Temple of the Egyptian Gods), Pergamon
  Hadrian's giant brick temple to Serapis and Isis, later a church of St John · found 1906
• Thyatira: Tepe Mezarlığı and Hastane Höyüğü Excavations
  The colonnaded street and mounds of Lydia's city of craft guilds · found 1968
• Temple of Artemis at Sardis
  One of the largest Greek temples, standing unfinished beside a later church · found 1910
• צָרַף
  Lydian Gold Refinery on the Pactolus, Sardis
  Where King Croesus' electrum was purified into the world's first gold coins · found 1968
• Sardis: The Lydian Wall and the Sack of 547 BCE
  The fallen soldiers of a city taken 'like a thief' by Cyrus · found 1976
• Philadelphia (Alaşehir): Basilica of St John and City Walls
  Three brick pillars in a city that promised its faithful a 'pillar in the temple' · found 1990
• Laodicea: Temple A, the Western Theatre and the Stadium
  The Şimşek excavations that turned a bare hill into a city of Revelation · found 2003
• Terrace Houses (Hanghäuser) of Ephesus
  Wealthy homes of the city where Paul taught for two years · found 1960
• Church of Mary (Council Church), Ephesus
  The great basilica where the Council of 431 met, built inside a Roman hall · found 1927
• Basilica of St John and the Tomb of John, Ayasuluk
  Justinian's church over the traditional grave of the apostle who wrote Revelation · found 1921
• Grotto of St Paul and the Thecla Fresco, Ephesus
  A hillside cave with the oldest painted image of Paul found in Asia · found 1906
• קְהִלָּה
  Colossae: First Excavations and the Rock-Cut Necropolis
  The last unexcavated city of the New Testament finally opened in 2025 · found 2025
• Alexandria Troas and the Baths of Herodes Atticus
  The port where Paul saw the Macedonian vision and raised Eutychus · found 1993
• Assos: Temple of Athena and the First American Excavation in the East
  The clifftop port where Paul rejoined his companions on foot · found 1881
• Perga: Hellenistic Gate, Colonnaded Street and Stadium
  The city where John Mark turned back, excavated by Turkish archaeologists since 1946 · found 1946
• House of Theseus, Paphos: The Roman Governor's Residence
  The proconsul's palace in the city where Sergius Paulus believed · found 1965
• Chrysopolitissa Basilica and 'St Paul's Pillar', Paphos
  Cyprus' largest early church and the column where tradition says Paul was flogged · found 1971
• Salamis: Gymnasium, Theatre and the Tomb of Barnabas
  The first port of Paul's first journey and the home city of Barnabas · found 1952
• תַּרְשִׁישׁ
  Tarsus: The Roman Road and Cleopatra's Gate
  Paved street and city gate of Paul's 'no mean city' · found 1993
• Cave Church of St Peter, Antioch
  The grotto where tradition says the first 'Christians' met · found 1863
• Seleucia Pieria: Harbour of Antioch and the Titus Tunnel
  The port from which Paul and Barnabas first sailed, and Vespasian's flood tunnel · found 1937
• Cenchreae: Corinth's Eastern Harbour
  The port of Phoebe, where Paul cut his hair for a vow · found 1963
• נֶצַח
  Nicopolis: Augustus' Victory Monument at Actium
  The 'City of Victory' where Paul planned to winter, and the trophy that founded it · found 1913
• דָּרַשׁ
  Berea (Veria): The 'Bema of Paul' and the Ancient City
  The city of the noble Bereans who searched the Scriptures daily · found 1949
• Thessalonica: The Roman Forum and the Arch of Galerius
  The city centre where 'the world was turned upside down', found by accident in 1962 · found 1962
• Amphipolis: The Lion Monument and the Kasta Tomb
  Macedonian splendour on the Via Egnatia, where Paul passed on the way to Thessalonica · found 1912

← All 533 discoveries by era

Open Hebrew Explorer — 30+ free study tools →